


Fins

by gloom



Category: Free!
Genre: AU, M/M, and haru isn't a poacher even if it kinda sounds like he is in the summary, as in merfolk poaching, mentions of animal poaching, no one dies though okay
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-31
Updated: 2014-10-31
Packaged: 2018-02-23 07:30:23
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,339
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2539490
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/gloom/pseuds/gloom
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Floating face down in the water is a merman, brilliant locks of magenta framing a face that Haru can’t see. Really, he has no time to think about the fact that he might have just murdered an innocent being before he’s in the water again to approach the lifeless body, silently panicking in the way only Haruka did. When he’s by the other man’s side, he gently flips him over.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Fins

**Author's Note:**

> I've had this idea before I even started writing Angel Face and I've finally decided to post the first chapter, so I hope people get as excited as me about it like I did when I first thought of it. So, please enjoy and constructive criticism is definitely welcome! Also, this is unbeta'd.

There was nothing like the ocean—it possessed ever-changing moods and gave out rolling hues of blue across the shore before it retreated back into itself, sea foam like crusts of diamond before they faded into nothing. _How fitting,_ he had once thought to himself as he, like many others, had been born unto the land; a child with legs where he only desired a tail. 

A dolphin. That’s what Makoto said fit Haru the most, had he been born a merman instead—a compliment he took quietly in stride from his orca finned friend. They met as children amongst shallow rock pools where Haru had been allowed to explore whilst the other perched on a large stone, curiously peering at the human with eyes a blue reminiscent of his home. Haru was a taciturn child, whereas Makoto was friendly albeit more than a little bit shy. Not much had changed since then, if Haru’s bored expression and the orca’s supportive smile could be used as any evidence as the announcement was made—Prince Haruka, first and only son born of His and Her Majesty the King and Queen, age nineteen, was to be married.

To merfolk royalty, of all beings.

 _Prince Rin of the House Matsuoka,_ Haru had stared down at the slip of paper he had been given to look at—an official document with the Nanase royal seal printed in the top right corner—with a hint of a frown.

How was that supposed to _work_? The last time he checked, he couldn’t breathe underwater (much to his dismay) and there was no way this so-called prince could swim on land, unless he wanted to drag himself around for the rest of his life. The idea seemed absolutely ridiculous and yet, their engagement had already been formally announced to the public the day prior. His parents and advisors could have at least given him a week’s notice. 

The news is what brings him to his usual spot at a cave a little ways off from the beach (which he had found as a child via the secret tunnel connecting to his own chambers). Now, if there’s one thing Haru doesn’t do, it’s sulk (no matter what Makoto likes to believe). Haru doesn’t go to the cave to sit and pout at the sea, he absolutely doesn’t start clenching his fists in frustration and he most definitely does not start throwing rocks into the water below because it’s the first time he’s ever allowed himself to feel so _helpless._ Really, he doesn’t. If anything, he’s not sure why it bothers him so much in the first place. He’s always known of his obligations to the people over his own wishes and he had accepted that his parents don’t really have time for him at a young age. That being said, Haru could never resent them for that (too much effort) as it’s not like they didn’t cherish the time they _did_ have with him. They were good people, just not good parents. 

So _no,_ Haru is definitely not upset that his future has essentially been given away. Not at all. He picks up another large rock and throws it harder than the last. It’s weird though, he thinks after a moment, as it doesn’t make a loud splash like the others—in fact, it seems to make a dull thud as it falls behind large rocks several metres away. 

Haru stares for a moment before he treads in, never one to turn down the water. He walks slowly, careful to not slip against the small rocks in the water beneath him. When he reaches his destination, he climbs up and over the rough surface to peer down below. What he sees almost makes his heart stop.

Floating face down in the water is a merman, brilliant locks of magenta framing a face that Haru can’t see. Really, he has no time to think about the fact that he might have just murdered an innocent being before he’s in the water again to approach the lifeless body, silently panicking in the way only Haruka did. When he’s by the other man’s side, he gently flips him over. 

 _Pretty._ The thought comes to him automatically because well, it’s _true._ The merman he’s killed (please no) is just that. Haru holds out his pointer and middle finger and places it over his accidental victim’s neck, just under his jaw, to feel for a pulse. It’s there, without a doubt— _thank mackerel_ —and when Haru checks for his breathing, it’s also perfectly fine. Looking down into the water beneath them, however, makes the panic reemerge because while it’s not overly obvious, that is _definitely_ blood. 

Haru puts a hand on the merman’s stomach to steady him in the flow of water and uses his other to lift his head ever so slightly, inspecting for a wound that might have been left by—what he assumes—the rock he threw earlier.

Haru finds nothing, Well, maybe a small bump, but aside from that, the water below them is definitely not being tinged red by a head wound. It’s at this point that Haru takes in the state of the stranger’s dark grey tail—it’s strangely appealing, he notes, with its jagged lines and edges—and wonders why he didn’t notice sooner. 

There’s a cut, not long but not entirely shallow either, that runs from the bottom until it curls around to where mid-calf would be if he had legs. It looks far too clean to not be done intentionally and he immediately knows that this guy had probably been caught out by poachers. Haru imagines him leaping from their boat mid-slice and is suddenly grateful for the fact that he threw that stupid rock or else he would never have found him. 

Without a second thought, Haru takes off his shirt to tie it firmly around the base of his tail. He takes a deep breath and hefts the limp body into his arms and begins to make his way back slowly. It’s not too far back to the cave, but mermen are _heavy_ and Haru doesn’t want to injure him any further by dropping him against the large rocks or in the shallow water. 

He looks down at the merman’s face for a moment as he adjusts his grip. _Pretty._

—

Haru manages to get the unconscious merman in his arms through the cave’s passageway and into his room in a little over half an hour (making sure he was still _alive_ every three minutes or so). At this point, his arms are aching and all he wants to do is get into the bath but he knows that it’s not an option given the situation. He eyes his bathroom door and it seems as if the sight gives him the last burst of energy he needs to quickly make his way over to open the door, walk over to the too-large tub and lower the body down onto cool tile. It’s then that Haru plugs the drain and leaves the bath running at a comfortable temperature before he gathers supplies from the drawers beneath his sink to clean the wound properly. The cut isn’t so awful that he wouldn’t be able to swim again but it’s bad enough to cause a significant amount of pain, Haru thinks. 

Kneeling down against the hard floor alongside the tub, he reaches down to untie his shirt from earlier and is relieved to see the bleeding has mostly subsided. Though there aren’t many, the fact that merfolk poachers still exist in this day and age makes Haru feel sick.

—

The merman shifts his head a little without the human noticing. Crimson eyes flutter open and stare blearily at the stranger gently rubbing something sticky over his tail. It _hurts,_ he thinks with a tilt of his head and it’s then that he suddenly realises he doesn’t know where he is. He whips his tail violently against the water surrounding him, panicked. 

“W-what are you doing?!”

 

**Author's Note:**

> find me at alexipharmic.tumblr.com yo


End file.
